Rumors About Hole On Soyuz Spacecraft Harm Relations Among ISS Crew - Roscosmos Head

The dissemination of rumors about the reasons for the emergence of a hole in the fabric of a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft undermines friendly relations among the International Space Station (ISS) crew, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2018) The dissemination of rumors about the reasons for the emergence of a hole in the fabric of a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft undermines friendly relations among the International Space Station (ISS) crew, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Kommersant newspaper reported, citing an anonymous source, that the hole on the spacecraft might have resulted from deliberate actions of the US astronauts. According to the news outlet, one of the ISS' US astronauts is allegedly suffering from a decease and is interested in the return of the spacecraft's crew back to Earth, which will enable him to receive the necessary medical assistance.

"The dissemination of conjectures and rumors about the events at the ISS does not contribute to the the work of Roscosmos experts and is aimed at hampering friendly relations among the space station's crew. It is unacceptable to make any statements based on 'sources' until the conclusion of the Roscosmos special commission's work," Rogozin wrote on his Facebook page.

On August 30, the ISS crew found a microfracture in one of the walls of the living section of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft that caused a minor air leak. The hole was patched up on the same day.